Main menu

Idiot Control Now: MST3K Movie Musical Moments

Best Brains Inc., the eponymous minds behind Mystery Science Theater 3000, had a fabulous creative team that came up with many hilarious song parodies and musical tributes over the course of the series' 10 year run. But that's not our topic today. Instead, we're going behind the scenes to find out about some fan-favorite musical interludes that were inexplicably included in the deliciously bad films featured on MST3K – the whos, the whys, and the where-are-they-nows.

The Band That Played "California Lady"

Track of the Moon Beast was a 1976 horror movie filmed on location in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As with most films of this ilk, the musical interlude (an outdoor concert scene) had little to do with the overall plot; it was added both as padding and an attempt to attract music fans that might otherwise not pay to see a sci-fi film. The Fish-Lipped Guy Robin Gibb look-alike crooning "California Lady" is Albuquerque native Frank Larrabee, who also wrote the song.

Larrabee was and remains a bit of a renaissance man. A gifted athlete, he was all-conference in baseball and basketball and attended the University of Albuquerque on a basketball scholarship. He was also a talented singer/songwriter and a familiar face on the local music scene, which is why the Moon Beast producers called on him for the all-important concert footage. Larrabee eventually focused on business (he owns a construction company in New Mexico) and his love of horses (he and his wife raise Appaloosas and he has previously served as president of the Appaloosa Horse club). Nevertheless, even after he "officially" retired from the music business, he still dusted off his guitar now and then... From 1976 to 1990 he hosted a "concert in the park" on Father's Day in Corrales, New Mexico, to raise money for the local library. If you're ever in the neighborhood, you can visit the Frank Larrabee Wing of the Corrales Public Library (it's just past the periodicals room).

Yipe Stripes!

There's a serial killer on the loose in 1964's Teen-Age Strangler, but that doesn't mean the local kids are too morose to enjoy a quick dance break at Marty's Malt Shop. Luckily, Mary and Jack, the Huntington Astronauts, are in the house to work the crown into a frenzy of fruggin' via their latest hit single "Yipe Stripes."

"Mary" was actually Kathy Haddad (credited as "Stacey Smith"), a Huntington, West Virginia, native who was home on summer break from New York's American Academy of Dramatic Arts when she answered the casting call. Auditions were held at the Frederick Hotel and Haddad was so excited when she landed the role that she didn't really consider the context – an actual film credit is an impressive resume bullet point for a student majoring in theater. Haddad now works as a substitute teacher in Cabell County and occasionally gets recognized by B-movie fans thanks to Teenage Strangler being available for check-out at almost every West Virginia public library. Screenwriter Clark Davis composed "Yipe Stripes" in one evening and later stated that he'd been inspired by a chewing gum commercial. Take a look at said commercial and then decide whether "inspired" is too mild of a term:

"It Stinks!"

The Pod People was originally conceived as a straight-up alien invasion horror film. But while Los Nuevos Extraterrestres (the Spanish production's original title) was still being filmed, Steven Spielberg released a little film called E.T. that became a blockbuster hit. The money people behind Pod People demanded several script changes at the last minute ("add a cute kid and make the alien more adorable!") in order to make the movie more E.T.-ish, which partially accounts for the disjointed feel of this film. But it doesn't explain away the excruciating recording studio scene, inserted apparently to establish the fact that these young hip folks vacationing together were not only friends but also members of a totally awesome singing group. The song "Rugen los Motores" ("The Engines Roar," incorrectly listed on IMDb as "Hear the Engines Roll") was co-written by Librado Pastor and Santiago Pineda, who had worked together in a regionally successful Spanish pop group called Los Roberts in the late 1960s.

That's Pineda singing the phonetic English lyrics on the track that actor Ian Sera dispassionately lip-synchs to in the film. In 2003, rappers Danger Mouse and Jemini resurrected an old Los Roberts song called "Lovin' for the Night" and sampled it on their track "The Only One."

Zombie Stomp

Producer Del Tenney had a brainstorm in 1962 – beach movies and horror movies were all the rage, so combining the two would surely be boffo at the box office. Unlike most bikini-oriented films of that era, Tenney set The Horror of Party Beach not in sunny California, but on the east coast – Stamford, Connecticut, to be exact. While searching for local talent to provide some "surf" music for his soundtrack, he discovered the Del-Aires, a Patterson, New Jersey, quartet that had a solid following in the area and played regular gigs at the famous Peppermint Lounge. The Del-Aires never recorded an actual soundtrack album for Party Beach but they did release a few songs from the film as singles on Coral Records and did a mini-tour of drive-in theaters to promote both the movie and their records.

On the night of August 25, 1963, the Del-Aires were just wrapping up a very raucous set at the Angel Lounge in Lodi, New Jersey, when two police officers arrived at the club to investigate a noise complaint. Unfortunately, two career criminals – Thomas Trantino and Frank Falco – happened to be at the club celebrating a successful heist they'd pulled earlier that day. Sgt. Peter Voto entered the bar first while his partner waited in the patrol car; he was immediately ambushed by the pair and ordered to remove his clothes. A few minutes later, Voto's partner Gary Tedesco – an unarmed probationary officer – came inside to see why Voto hadn't returned; he was likewise taken hostage and ordered to strip. Trantino and Falco then shot the helpless kneeling police officers in the head, killing them both. Falco was shot by police a few days later while resisting arrest and Trantino gave himself up. The Del-Aires disbanded shortly afterward due to "creative differences."

Watch Out for Snakes!

Arch Hall Sr. always dreamed of being in show business and sort of patterned himself after Ozzie Nelson – he was determined to not only direct and produce but to also star in pictures along with the rest of his family. Unfortunately, Arch Sr. never made it to prime time TV like Ozzie, and his son Arch Jr. never attained the teen idol status of Ricky Nelson. Arch Sr. formed his own movie studio, Fairway Productions, and churned out a string of B-movies that usually appeared second on the bill of drive-in double features. Arch Jr. really was a talented singer and musician (he'd formed a band in high school with pal Alan O'Day, who went on to hit number one on his own in 1977 with "Undercover Angel"), but his father's films weren't necessarily the best showcase for his abilities. Case in point: In Eegah!, young Arch takes a break from hunting for a monster in the desert and bursts into song (complete with backing vocals) to serenade his girlfriend, Roxy. But the tune he sings is about a girl named Valerie. Even worse, earlier in the film he croons a poolside ballad to another former love of his life named Vickie. Roxy must have been one tolerant girlfriend.

Despite the best efforts of dad, Arch Jr.'s film/music career never really took off, so Junior eventually concentrated on his other passion, flying. He earned his pilot's license in 1965 and hired on as a co-pilot with the Flying Tigers courier service in 1967. He was piloting DC-10s for Federal Express when he retired in 2003.

Daddy-O

Film noir fans will probably be shocked to find out that the hepcat rock and roller clad in high-waisted pants and extra-snug polo shirts who starred in Daddy-O was famous offscreen for playing the un-coolest of musical instruments – the accordion. Dick Contino won first place in 1946 on the Youth Opportunity Talent Show by playing "Lady of Spain" on the squeezebox. His sleek black pompadour and onstage gyrations soon garnered a large fan following (and a record contract); by 1950 he was sporting a diamond pinky ring and earning $4,000 per week at the tender age of 20. His musical career came to a screeching halt in 1951 when Uncle Sam came a-callin' and he failed to report for military service. He spent six months in federal prison as a result and was inducted into the Army immediately upon his release. Nevertheless, the "draft dodger" label hung heavily over his head and big band fans weren't very forgiving. Shunned by concert promoters, Contino turned to Hollywood, where the "bad boy" label was actually a plus. Even though he'd forever refer to Daddy-O as a "Z-movie," the film did help to rejuvenate his career. It kept his name on lobby posters and in gossip columns and gave him a swooning fan-girl following that stuck with him when he eventually returned to the Lawrence Welk circuit.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;nbsp;

Also on Mental Floss:

DID YOU KNOW? Marlon Brando hated memorizing lines so much that he posted cue cards everywhere to help him get through scenes.
He even asked for lines to be written on an actress's posterior. (That request was denied.)